Re-Invent Yourself At Any Age

Yesterday was one of those early mornings rushing to the KATU Ch 2 Studio amidst the, “Winter Storm 2012” to film the “re-invent” yourself segment with the lovely Becca. Oh, and Oregon’s definition of a “winter storm” is a half inch of snow that was already melted by 6am. Are you kidding me? But I did end up making it and had a great time on the show as usual. Take a peak at our segment and let us know what you think!

We did the segment with Becca’s mom, Linda who was a champ as we basically picked apart her fashion sense, makeup style, and hair. Prior to the show I did a sit down with Linda and we went over what she had (which was not a lot) and introduced her to a new way of doing her makeup. Here are a few key mistakes Linda was making in the makeup department and what we did to change it.

1)Foundation: She was using a foundation underneath a cream foundation, and then topped with a mineral foundation. It was just a little much to say the least. Instead I showed her the Koh Gen Do Moisture foundation that will not look cakey, gives great coverage and moisturizes at the same time.

2)Brows: Linda doesn’t do much with her brows because they are blond and didn’t feel she had enough to shape them. But, that is definitely not the case. They should still be shaped and then just defined with some brow powder. By addressing her brows, it will give her a mini lift and make her eyelids clean and fuzzless.

3)Muted Colors: Everything (or lack of) that she had as far as color in her makeup bag was very muted and pretty much blah. So I helped her discover the beauty of color popping shades. I chose a bubble gum blush that wasn’t overwhelming, and used bright purple, pink, and peach eyeshadows to accentuate her beautiful blue eyes. Every color I chose brought back that healthy looking glow to the skin. You don’t have to look like Mimi from Drew Carey if you want to wear bright colors, and you don’t have to be 20 either. Color works for any age.

Here are Becca’s thoughts:

Reinventing yourself can be daunting in many ways, especially if you already have a established wardrobe and style expectations for yourself. These expectations can easily slip into a routine, which can then transfer into stagnate fashion swamp water. To avoid wardrobe stagnation you need to develop a keen eye and brave spirit to reinvent yourself and give your look some energy. Here are several steps you can take to rejuvenate your wardrobe and yourself in this new year.

1. Be Honest about your clothing expectations: Linda is a working professional so she needs to balance out her wardrobe with office-friendly attire, but that also translate into her home life. Having basics that you can mix and match is essential to her wardrobe’s survival, but the key is to update your basics often. Instead of Linda’s traditional wide-legged slacks we put her in a slim-legged pants, which are trendier now than even in the early 90s, to update her everyday staple.

2. Be honest about how things fit your body: Understanding your body shape and what works best for your needs will make reinventing yourself a lot easier. To find tips on identifying your body shape click here.
As stated above, we chose to put Linda in a pair of cropped, black, slim-fit trousers because they are versatile and update her look, but not all slim-legged pants are created equal. You need to find clothing that fits your shape well otherwise you will look bigger than you actually are. Previously, Linda had been wearing pants that were baggy in the backside because they fit her well on the waistband; you don’t have to compromise one to get the other. We were able to find a pair of pants that hugged both her amazing legs, her rear and fit well on her waist that make her look slimmer than when she had the looser pair on. For tops we looked for ones in light weight materials that would move well with her shape, which were a little longer, hitting at least mid-way down the back pockets. We also looked for brighter colors and interesting necklines and lapels to draw the eyes up to her face. We chose flat shoes, in a contrasting color for two reasons: 1) they are practical for her work environment being flat and 2) the flat, when paired with the cropped pant, exposes the ankle bone and lengthens the leg.

3. Be honest about your age, but don’t sell yourself short: Don’t let your age control your reinvention process, instead embrace it as part of who you are. Being a certain number doesn’t automatically exclude you from being fashionable or even trendy, you just need to learn where to shop. With Linda, I worked hard to find pieces that were inspired from the contemporary trends were are seeing this Spring in younger designers and stores, like Chiffon blouses, in departments that were geared for her needs. Be aware that teenybopper stores are meant for teenybopper shaped bodies, so if you are not a teenybopper don’t buy clothes that aren’t cut for the curvy parts that women have. Incorporating several of the latest trends in more muted ways will keep your look up to date and you won’t look like you raided a 18 year-olds closet in order to stay forever young.

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